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Alumni Accolades
Nexstar Media Group promoted accomplished media executive Tracey Rogers (’91) to senior vice president and regional manager for its broadcasting division, overseeing Nexstar television stations and digital operations in multiple markets across the country. She had served as vice president and general manager of WKRN-TV in Nashville since May 2017. Rogers’ numerous awards for excellence in journalism include an Edward R. Murrow Award.
Shane Smith (’97), director of technology at LMG Inc. in Florida, a global touring and entertainment provider, recently donated lighting equipment worth more than $18,000 to the MTSU College of Media and Entertainment to help train students to properly set up stage and studio productions.
Journalism alum Sara Cardona (’16) was named the main sports anchor and reporter for Miami’s WTVJ, a television station owned and operated by NBC. The bilingual broadcast journalist began her new role in June 2023. She also contributes to sports coverage on WSCV (Telemundo 51). Cardona previously covered University of Kentucky and University of Florida athletics as a sports anchor and reporter in Lexington, Kentucky, and Gainesville, Florida, respectively.
Brittney Spencer (’17) is featured on Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter, which dropped earlier in 2024. Spencer, 35, is one of a few featured singers on “Blackbiird,” a reimagining of the Beatles song “Blackbird.” She also released her inaugural album, My Stupid Life, in January 2024. Named to CMT’s annual Next Women of Country list in 2021, she later made her network television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live and first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in May 2021.
Daisha McBride (’18), who goes by The Rap Girl, is featured in a BET documentary film titled In Her Element. The film is part of Queen Latifah’s series Queen Collective, which puts a spotlight on Black female and nonbinary directors by airing their short films. The film follows McBride as she prepares to put on her first headlining show at Nashville’s Acme Feed & Seed. A few scenes feature MTSU and the campus. Senior MTSU film student Chris Banegas also appears.
Jaelee Roberts (’23), guitarist and primary vocalist with Sister Sadie, made her Grand Ole Opry solo debut in September 2023. While Roberts had performed several times on the Opry stage, this marked her first appearance under her own name, performing music she has recorded for Mountain Home Music.
The animated student film I’ll Never Know Her, by alums Madison McCallum (’22) and Shea Spears (’22), was accepted into the Student World Impact, White Rabbit, and six other film festivals. With musical collaboration by MTSU student-run Match Records alumni Abbie Garrett, Ethan Forrest, and Andy Modaff, the video tells the story of Serena, a theater janitor, who longs to sing center stage but lacks the confidence to stand alone.
Alumna and music artist Hunter Wolkonowski (’20), who performs as HunterGirl, fulfilled a dream with her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in March. While attending MTSU, the Winchester native donated her time and talent to help raise funds for the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center by singing at two of the University’s Veteran Impact Celebrations. Surprising Wolkonowski on the Opry stage, MTSU staff presented the rising country star a personalized bomber jacket from the Daniels Center. She also performed on the Opry’s Salute the Troops show this May that highlighted MTSU and the Daniels Center.
Ashley Barrientos (’23) was recently named one of this year’s 50 climate leaders by the climate news organization Grist. Barrientos’ rise to fame began when she took a position with Brooklyn-based Impact Media to create content for their Instagram account, @impact. The popular account, with more than 2 million followers, covers a wide range of social topics. Although the account covered some environmental news, Barrientos saw an opportunity for more. Her goal became to create straightforward climate content that resonated with younger audiences. In 2022, she became the founding editor of @environment, an Instagram account covering climate news and awareness that now has more than 830,000 followers. The account, owned by Impact Media, got a jolt when music superstar Ariana Grande shared a post to her Instagram story, and Leonardo DiCaprio even gave a full repost.
Nashville Lifestyles magazine hosted its annual Music in the City event at Ole Red in February, featuring a performance by country music megastar and former MTSU student Chris Young. In a Q-and-A session before the show with Alison Hudak, editor of Nashville Lifestyles, Young discussed his alma mater. Then, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Beverly Keel, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment, presented Young with a framed photo montage showing students using the Chris Young Café, which he helped build on the MTSU campus.
Bill Lickman (’24), a U.S. Air Force veteran, was one of four USAF Joint Staff Military Security Forces members on duty when terrorists crashed an airliner into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. After helping people evacuate, he returned to the smoke-filled, burning building to protect critical facilities and senior Department of Defense leadership, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He later received a Purple Heart for injuries he suffered that day. Lickman graduated from MTSU this May with a degree in Video and Film Production and received the Veteran Leadership Award during the spring Graduating Veterans Stole Ceremony. While at MTSU, Lickman, 45, served as production manager and highlight camera operator for MTSU’s ESPN+ sports broadcasts, photographer for Sidelines, social media manager for MTSU’s student-run TV production company, and Student Government Association veteran senator.
2024 CME Wall of Fame inductees
Trish McGee (’90), vice president of public relations for the Bohan Agency in Nashville, has more than 30 years of experience spanning the tourism, entertainment, theme park, not-for-profit, and hospitality industries. As an earned media and communications strategist, she has contributed to successful campaigns on behalf of such notable brands as the Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Lucas Theater for the Arts, Dollywood, and Imagination Library. At Bohan, she provides public relations representation for the Department of Tourism in Pigeon Forge, one of the Southeast’s most popular vacation destinations. A Tennessee native, McGee has a Mass Communication degree with a public relations emphasis in the recording industry.
Director, writer, and editor Wes Edwards (’01) has directed 150-plus music videos and commercials for household names like Amazon and Pepsi. He has won two CMA awards, two ACM awards, a CMT award, and a Gospel Music Association Video of the Year award. Edwards also has two videos in Billboard’s best 100 videos of the decade for 2010–2019. In 2019, he co-founded the production company Strange Arcade, where he serves as executive producer, with his partner, Angie Lorenz. In 2022, he directed American Anthems, a six-part music documentary series for PBS that celebrated unsung heroes with original songs by top artists. The show earned four Emmy nominations, including one for directing. Edwards has a Mass Communication degree with a concentration in Radio and Television.
Big Loud Records songwriter and country artist HARDY (’13) soared to new heights in 2023 with the release of his critically acclaimed half-country, half-rock sophomore album The Mockingbird & the Crow, adding to 4 billion career streams. The artist, whose given name is Michael Hardy, is a five-time Academy of Country Music award winner, two-time Country Music Association award winner, and the 2022 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year. HARDY has written 15 No. 1 singles. Boasting a Recording Industry degree from the Commercial Songwriting program, HARDY spoke at one of MTSU’s graduation ceremonies this spring. HARDY, who at 33 is believed to be the University’s youngest alumnus to return as a Commencement speaker, told graduates, “Don’t be afraid to say yes to an opportunity just because you don’t think you will see an immediate result. You never know where your successes will come from. . . . Take a chance on yourself.”
